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The family members of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, alleging that a the Dutch artist oil painting was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany just before World War II.

The legal action argues that the museum, which obtained the painting in the 1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was likely confiscated property. The heirs are now demanding the repatriation of the painting along with damages.

Following WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through NYC, claims the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Sterns departed from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the masterpiece as property of the state and banned the Sterns from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Nazi official, a agent assigned by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the money from the transaction were placed in a blocked account, which the regime later took.

Post-War History

By 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered New York and was purchased by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

BEG and a family member of the magnate are identified in the suit. The lawsuit alleges that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the heirs.

To this day, the defendants continue to obscure the circumstances the institution came into possession of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the reality that the Nazis looted the Painting from the family, pressured the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and took the proceeds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants initiated a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An further action was also denied in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert must have known that the masterpiece had probably been seized by Nazis.

The Met said in a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to address issues related to WWII.

An official commented: Not once during the museum's possession of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become known until a long time after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – in particular, it was recorded that the work was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the comparable nature in the holdings. Although the museum maintains its stance that this piece entered the collection and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the museum is open to and will review any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer representing the foundation commented: BEG is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The action to litigate and defame the institution and the defendants in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be a third time.